Gender and Age Differences in Friendship Values: Intensification at Adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

Friendships can buffer youth against the adverse effects of stressors (Schmidt & Bagwell, 2007; Laursen, Bukowski, Aunola, & Nurmi, 2007), but the extent to which youth seek support from friends and the effectiveness of support may depend on whether youth receive the friendship benefits they value most. Although research documents gender differences in friendship characteristics and expectations, only a handful of studies examine how girls and boys differ in the friendship qualities they value. The value girls and boys place on varying friendship qualities is likely to change across development, especially when gender-role identification and socialization intensify during adolescence (Rose & Smith, 2018). To explore this question, this study examined whether gender differences intensify during adolescence in four domains of friendship values.

One hundred fifty-four 4th – 8th graders (Mage = 11.40, SD = 1.55; 70 female and 84 male) completed a novel measure of friendship values. In response to the prompt “How important is it to you to have friends who…?,” youth rated 18 friendship qualities within four domains: (1) intimacy/emotional support, (2) instrumental support, (3) companionship, and (4) enjoyment. Mean ratings for each friendship value were computed as the average of items within each domain. Youth then endorsed the three most valued friendship qualities. Mean endorsement frequency was computed as the number of items endorsed as most valued within each domain. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) examined whether gender, grade group (elementary vs. junior high), or their interaction predicted (1) mean ratings for each domain, and (2) mean endorsement frequency for each domain.

For mean ratings, analyses revealed significant Gender X Grade Group interactions for intimacy and instrumental support. Follow-up t-tests indicated that girls valued intimacy and instrumental support significantly more than boys in junior high but not elementary school (Table 1). For enjoyment, significant gender and grade group main effects emerged, indicating that boys valued enjoyment more than girls and youth valued enjoyment more in elementary than junior high school. For companionship, analyses revealed nonsignificant main effects and a nonsignificant Gender X Grade Group interaction.

For mean endorsement frequency, analyses revealed significant Gender X Grade Group interactions for intimacy, enjoyment, and companionship. Follow-up t-tests indicated that junior high girls selected more intimacy items as most valued compared to boys, whereas junior high boys selected more companionship and enjoyment items as most valued compared to girls (Table 2). Gender differences were not significant for endorsement frequency of these domains in elementary school. For instrumental support, analyses revealed nonsignificant main effects and a nonsignificant Gender X Grade Group interaction.

Consistent with gender-intensification theory and with prior research on friendship characteristics and expectations, gender differences in friendship values intensify when youth progress from elementary to junior high school, such that older girls value emotion-based friendship qualities (intimacy, support) whereas older boys value activity-based friendship qualities (companionship, enjoyment). These results highlight the importance of a gender-specific understanding regarding friendship characteristics that may protect youth against psychological risks and provide specific targets for interventions with girls and boys, particularly across junior high school.

Authors

• Jillian Dodson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author

• Wing Sze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Non-Presenting Author

• Caroline Graham, Washington University in St. Louis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Karen Rudolph, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Non-Presenting Author